2/7/04 In Manorhaven playing Poker with the Grandparents:

Peter comes back from working the videography equipment at a temple on Long Island. He does this most Saturday mornings.

Kiss Nana.

Hug Papa.

We got one of those artificial logs that everyone suspects gives off toxic fumes, but lights really easily and burns for hours. They came out with a new "real log smelling" flavor. We try to smell it.

Peter strikes the match.

And begins the fire.

Yay.

You light the plastic-paper bag that the log comes in, and it, in turn, starts the log. Of course, the word log is only applicable in the sense of defining this object's shape, and somewhat its function, but at no point was this part of a tree. This is synthetic. And I think because we're not supposed to eat it, they don't have to put on the package exactly WHAT it is.

Continuing POKER MANIA we decide to play poker as a family. The nostalgic significance of this is that my grandfather taught me how to play poker, and some of my earliest memories are playing him, over and over again, as a 4 year old.

It's blurry, but it's the only shot I've got.

Then Peter and I take the train back to the city, with Helen Zelman.

She takes this photo of us on the new M-7.